A class-action lawsuit filed by former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores against the Dolphins, Denver Broncos, New York Giants and the NFL rocked the league on Tuesday night.
Not so much because it revealed anything new about how the most powerful sports organization in the United States really works, but because of the documented evidence and examples that helped confirm long-held suspicions.
The accusations of racist practices at the league’s highest levels are, to put it mildly, absolutely abhorrent. The league will also have to answer for one allegation in particular that has set the sports betting world on fire.
According to Flores, Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offered the head coach an additional $100,000 for every loss in 2019 to ensure the team tanked. Flores said he would never agree to such a deal—and the fact that he went 24-25 with back-to-back winning seasons in 2020 and 2021 help prove his point.
Brian Flores spoke about Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offering him $100K for each loss in order to tank.
"That's not in my DNA. That was never gonna happen."
(via @GetUpESPN) pic.twitter.com/co6eIgl3Vh
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 2, 2022
Yet some bettors began connecting dots that didn’t exist. Theories that Ross could make money wagering on his team to lose began spreading on social media. It’s a natural thought process given the NFL’s recent embrace of sports betting. It’s just not very practical.
So… Stephen Ross trying to bribe a coach into losing games. I wonder what Vegas and people betting on football games think of that?
Not much different than early baseball scandals— 5chw4r7z (@5chw4r7z) February 2, 2022
I wonder if Stephen Ross was betting on the games he instructed Brian Flores to tank?
Is Ross a gambler? @gregcote @LeBatardShow
— George Sisca (@GeorgeSisca) February 2, 2022
Also wondering if Flores had agreed to lose games if Ross would have had friends and family betting on them@NFL your ownership has undermined the integrity of the game on many levels
Stephen Ross doesnt deserve to own a football team
— Dive_Bar_Jesus (@Dive_Bar_Jesus) February 2, 2022
The reality of such a scheme is way more complicated than Ross placing bets himself or employing proxies to do the dirty work. To be extremely clear: There is no evidence Ross attempted to game the system in this manner.
BetFTW reached out to Tipico Sportsbook to learn more about the safeguards in place to prevent a scandal of this magnitude and found the juice wouldn’t be worth the squeeze for a variety of reasons.
Let’s break it down.